Last Night
by Alsike
Summary: Senior Year started out with a bang - literally - a pool party at Lacey's, where poor choices abounded. Emma has unpleasant consequences to deal with, and Ruby's trying to help, while scrambling for a handle on just how much she likes to kiss girls. It goes downhill from there. And then Lacey has another party.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: Contains Abortions, Drugs, Underage Drinking, Drunkenness, Prostitution, Temporary Character Death, and Multiple Mixed Gender Threesomes. This is the fic where Ruby and Lacey fuck a guy to death. If this is not your cup of tea, don't read it. Also, for more thorough tagging, check it out on AO3.**

X X X

"Ruby," Emma was pale and she looked sick. "I need help."

Ruby's eyes widened and she pulled Emma under the bleachers. "What is it? What happened?"

"I need…" she looked sick. "I need to get an abortion."

Ruby covered her face. "God, Emma. What the fuck? Seriously?"

Emma was shaking. "I don't know what to do, or where to go, or how, and maybe I should just get into a fight with Bruce and make him punch me in the stomach, but I'm fucking _pregnant_, and my mom is going to _kill_ me if she finds out."

"Why aren't you on birth control?" Ruby snapped at her. "Are you _stupid_?"

"I couldn't get it without my mom finding out. And if she found out I was having sex—"

"You think this is better?"

"My mom isn't your Granny! She didn't sit me down when I got my period and tell me that I could fuck around as much as I wanted."

"Oh she did _not_ tell me that. She told me that if I got pregnant, she'd disown me. And that if I needed STD medication, I was paying for it myself. And then she showed me how to put on a condom and gave me a prescription for pills and told me not to fuck up my life."

"Well I didn't get that! My mom gave me a hug and told me I was a _woman_ and that someday I would get married and have babies, and I wanted to vomit. And then she gave me that look – the one that's like 'you're perfect, and you had _better_ not do anything to make me think you're not, or I'll eat your brain with a spoon.'"

"Your mom is kind of scary," Ruby said. "But, seriously, how did this happen? It's Neal's, right?"

"I don't really remember. I think, maybe, that night at Lacey's pool party back in the summer. I got blackout drunk, and maybe the condom broke and I was going to get a morning after, but forgot?"

"Maybe," Ruby made a face. And maybe it wasn't Neal's. She remembered that night all too well, because there had been spin the bottle, and then truth or dare, and she'd made out with Lacey until she'd tried to get under her bra, and Lacey had pushed her in the pool. Then she'd let Derek fuck her over the arm of the sofa. Odette had walked in on them and freaked out, and Ruby had been a little sorry about fucking her boyfriend, and offered to eat her out, because she wasn't terrifying like Lacey, and Ruby kind of wanted to try it. Odette had slapped her and run off in tears, and it had been kind of a shitty night all around. But she definitely remembered Emma sitting in Neal's lap during spin the bottle, and kissing Killian and touching his junk, before they all disappeared upstairs, and Ruby _really_ doubted Emma had been sober enough to even think about condoms.

"I don't know what to _do_."

"Hey, hey." Ruby put her arms around Emma and pulled her into a hug. "It's all right. We'll get an appointment and I'll cut school and drive you to Boston, okay? Lacey said there's a clinic there that her sister goes to like all the time."

"Lacey's a hooker," Emma muttered into her shoulder.

"All the more reason she'd know these things."

x x x

Ruby caught up with Lacey smoking out by the football field, after classes ended. Lacey gave her a look, then offered her a drag, and Ruby dropped down next to her and took it. The nicotine was soothing. If she was stressed about this, Emma must be a _mess_.

"You look like shit," Lacey said.

"Yeah, well." Ruby wrinkled her nose. "What's the number of the abortion clinic in Boston that your sister goes to?"

Lacey's eyes widened and she gave Ruby a once over that was almost as sexy as it was surprised.

"Not _me_," Ruby hissed. "Emma. Probably at your last pool party."

"Ohhh," Lacey nodded, and then grimaced. "There was so much gunk in those sheets, I knew it couldn't end well."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Two guys, no condoms…"

"And a shit ton of lube. I'm pretty sure there was a lot of first time anal going on there. But then, Neal always struck me as a bottom."

Ruby grimaced. "Maybe it's good Emma was blackout drunk that night."

"I'm sure having your boy in you and having him screaming out the name of the guy hammering him is something you totally want to forget."

"You _heard_?"

Lacey gave her a sly grin. "After you tried to get to second base I grabbed Phil for a round. Had to walk past that room. It was gross."

"Phil?" Ruby wrinkled her nose. "He's _nothing_. I could've—"

Lacey pressed a finger to her mouth. "Nuh uh. I don't fuck girls."

"Lame." Ruby rolled her eyes. "You kiss them like you want to."

Lacey shrugged. "I like kissing. And girls are better at it than boys. But I just don't see the point of fucking without a cock. Unlike you, clearly. Dyke."

"Shut up." Ruby elbowed her in the side. Then she took the offered drag.

"I'll text you the number," Lacey said. "She got enough cash?" Lacey stuck her fingers down her bra and came out with a fat wad of hundreds. "I just got paid for the month."

Ruby made a face. Lacey got paid for hooking up with a rich old dude who lived in the north of town. Purportedly, she cleaned for him, but Ruby had never heard her mention a mop. She had mentioned getting fucked on the kitchen table once. But she got paid a shitload for it and was always super generous, so it wasn't any of Ruby's business. It just meant that when Emma called her a hooker, she wasn't exaggerating. Much.

"That might be handy. Emma doesn't have a lot of funds, and she's totally freaking out about her mom catching wind of this business."

Lacey snorted. "No kidding. That lady would string her the fuck up. The way she looks at me, it's like I'm the sin that must be bleached from this earth. I'm shocked she ever opened those tight little thighs to get knocked up in the first place."

Ruby laughed, but felt bad about it, since Emma's dad was in a coma, and had been in a coma since before she was born, and her mom still went to read to him at the hospital every week, hoping he'd wake up. It was pretty sad really.

"But…" Lacey glanced at her, heavily mascaraed eyelashes making her eyes a kind of uncanny blue. "Everything's good with you, otherwise?"

"Mm?" Ruby was distracted by her lips, their soft curve, the slight glisten of lip-gloss that she could taste on the cigarette. "What? Yeah. Everything's fine."

Lacey smiled and stubbed out the cigarette on the rock. "Cum'ere," she said, reaching out and lacing her fingers behind Ruby's neck. "You can kiss me."

Ruby laughed weakly. Was she really that obvious? But it would be a nice distraction from worrying about Emma. She leaned in and let their noses rub together. "You totally want a piece of this."

"Arrogant," Lacey grinned. "And keep your hands off my tits."

"Meh, wouldn't be worth it anyway. It's not like you've got much up top."

"Fuck you," Lacey laughed back, and Ruby moved in to kiss her. She tasted like cigarettes and dark chocolate and Jack Daniels, and Ruby didn't think she'd ever get enough.

x x x

"Miss Blanchard! Miss Emma Blanchard!"

Emma froze, turning guiltily in the hall to face the form of her history teacher, Ms. Mills, bearing down on her. Regina Mills was tall, in her black heels, and intimidating, with dark eyes and perfect hair and crisp white shirts under black blazers that Emma kind of wanted to leave lipstick marks on. Not that she'd admit it, except that one time she and Ruby were really drunk in the back of Ruby's truck out in the forest, and Ruby had been waxing lyrical about Lacey's ass, and Emma hadn't been able to not one up her with her desperate desire to have their history teacher spank her.

Thank god Ruby had blacked that one out.

"Um, yeah?"

Ms. Mills gave Emma a long look, starting from the toes of her Docs, up her ragged jeans, and to the brightly colored t-shirt that had been cropped off to give a hint of her stomach. Her lip curled as if she couldn't believe that anyone could be as unkempt as her. But it wasn't like Emma had really been able to put a lot of thought into her sartorial choices that morning. She was still kind of distracted by the little blue cross that had made her life a fucking disaster.

"Why didn't I receive an essay from you this morning?"

Emma froze. They had had a DBQ due that day, but honestly, it wasn't like she had been able to focus this past week, after she realized that she should have started bleeding like a month ago, and _hadn't_. "I, uh, forgot it."

"Forgot to bring it, or forgot to do it?"

"Forgot to… do it?"

Ms. Mills rolled her eyes. "Because I'm certain that you're _so_ busy with all your other classes and important life decisions right now."

Emma stiffened. She kind of _was_. "Look, I'm sorry. I just forgot."

Ms. Mills gaze narrowed. "You, Miss Blanchard, are _not_ an excellent student."

"Well _thank you very much_," Emma snapped back.

"I've spoken to your other teachers, and to be honest, the level of effort you provide is abominable."

"I'm doing _fine_."

"Because you're poor David Nolan's daughter, shot down in the line of duty, the day before his wedding, after he'd knocked up his girlfriend, of course. But I don't _do_ favors."

"I don't_ need_ favors!

"No, you don't. Not in my class at least. You have been doing quite well, actually, but I am disappointed at this _flakiness_. Being mindful of the small details is what gets you control of your own life."

Small details, like condoms. Emma sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

Ms. Mills gave her a sharp look. "Well then, it had better be on my desk by the first bell tomorrow, Miss Blanchard. Or you are getting a zero."

Ms. Mills strode away, and Emma gaped at her, unable to believe what had just happened. Had the most hard-ass teacher in school given her an extension? Jesus fuck. Well, she was pregnant already, and Ruby was on the job about that. Tonight, Emma was going to write the best goddamn DBQ on the planet.

x x x

Lacey had put her breasts off limits, but she hadn't said anything about her ass, and when Lacey bit down on her lower lip and tugged, Ruby palmed her ass and squeezed. Lacey made a little noise of pleasure and kissed her again.

"Holy crap," said Neal. "Look at the lesbian action going down over here."

Lacey stiffened, and Ruby pulled back, turning to glare at Neal, Phil, and Riley who had wandered up, Neal pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Shut up," Ruby snapped and grabbed the pack out of his hand. Lacey moved over to sit in Phil's lap. Phil looked a bit bemused, and Riley gave him a sharp look that was almost a scolding without words. That Asian girl could be fucking terrifying if she wanted to be. Phil made a face and very carefully kept his hands off of Lacey.

"So," Neal said, looking pleased with himself. "Have you seen Emma? I've learned this new trick that I want to show her."

"A sex trick, or a lame-ass nerdy magic trick," asked Lacey.

Neal glared at her. "My magic tricks are not lame-ass and nerdy."

"They kind of are," Ruby offered, and Lacey gave her a grin that was almost a high-five.

"You guys suck. And anyway, I learned a new sex trick too."

Lacey snorted. "Good luck getting Emma to put out any time soon."

Neal looked confused and Ruby shot her a look to tell her to shut up. Lacey just smiled. Ruby got a text and checked her phone. "Emma's not coming," she said. "She's got a paper to write and is heading home to get shit done."

"Aww," Neal sighed.

Ruby stood up. "I've got to go too. I need to change before my shift."

Lacey caught her eye, but revealed nothing with her expression. "I'm thinking about having another party, like, next weekend, while it's still warm enough for the pool. You up for it?"

Ruby smiled. "You know me. I'm always up for a party."

"We'll get the college boys down. It'll be a good time."

"Ooh?" Neal perked up. "The college boys?"

Lacey gave him a look. "That was the gayest thing you've ever said."

"I wasn't the one with my tongue in a girl's mouth five minutes ago."

Lacey smirked. "Right. See? Gay."

Neal flipped her off.

Ruby had a half an hour before she really needed to get ready for her shift, but it had been a fucking stressful day, and she needed to call the clinic, and then maybe do something about how horny Lacey had gotten her before suffering through three hours of crazy diner patrons. And shower.

x x x

Once Dawn showed up, looking flushed from cheerleading practice, Neal made the motion to go hang out at the diner and bother Ruby during her shift. Lacey made a point of looking seriously bored by the idea, but went along with them anyway.

Neal decided to show his new magic trick to Dawn, who was reasonably willing to be impressed, and she and Phil were hanging off each other to watch it. Lacey ended up walking next to Riley, which was always an uncomfortable proposition.

To be honest, Lacey had no idea how Riley had ended up in their group. She was serious, and academically successful, and didn't smoke, and didn't drink, and yet she was always _around_. Lacey had a suspicion that she took turns banging Phil and Dawn, or maybe did them both at once, but it was still kind of hard to figure her out. Phil was Neal's friend, and Neal was Emma's BF and Emma was Ruby's BFF, and Ruby and Emma liked to party so they were semi-friends with Lacey, and Dawn was Phil's girlfriend – even though she was a sophomore, and Phil really shouldn't be bringing her to parties, because people got upset about fifteen year olds getting drunk and boning strangers. Lacey did not fucking care, as long as she didn't get arrested for it. And anyways, Riley usually came and kept her from passing out in the pool or blowing Mr. Walking STD himself, Killian Jones, – which was handy, because Dawn always drank too much and did stupid shit, and Phil liked to get stoned and sit on the porch and was totally useless, and Riley was always handy if they needed someone who knew CPR.

Riley was giving her suspicious looks, and Lacey knew that she shouldn't have gotten caught making out with Ruby. It wasn't even like they were drunk. But Ruby was an excellent kisser, and Lacey hadn't lied about really liking kissing. There wasn't anything gay about it. Unlike Riley, who totally pinged.

Lacey gave her a suspicious look right back, and thought about _Eliot_, handsome and older and rich, with a nice cock and good technique, and who would sell her weed and E for her parties for like half of what any of Killian's contacts could get. He had totally taken her from behind in the library last time, just come up to her and shoved up her skirt, and entered her, and she had hung onto the bookshelves, and it had been _awesome_.

See, she was totally straight. Ruby could go be bicurious with someone else.

x x x

The clinic had an opening for Friday, and Ruby swung by the Blanchard's that morning in her truck. Emma ran out with her backpack swinging from one shoulder.

"Bye, mom, my ride's here. I'll see you tonight!"

"Bye, baby girl!" Ms. Blanchard stood on the doorstep, smiling and waving and Ruby was so goddamn glad her parents were dead, so there wasn't anyone she could disappoint as much as Emma could disappoint her mother.

The moment Emma swung into the seat next to her, her face fell. She covered her eyes. "Oh god. I hate lying. I hate it so much."

Ruby shook her head. "You lie to her about everything. Why is this such a huge deal?"

Emma made a face. "Because I know that if I told her, she'd be so shocked and upset and hurt, but she'd forgive me, and give me a hug, and she'd want me to keep it."

"_What_?" Ruby felt sick. "Keep it? You?"

"It's all, babies are gifts from god, in that house. I was a gift given to her to keep her sane when she lost _David_. And she'd want me to _marry_ Neal or something, and for us to be the perfect parents, and fuck, I don't want to marry _Neal_."

"I don't even know why you date that loser," Ruby said.

Emma shrugged. "I like dates. You don't date anyone."

"I like _sex_," Ruby said. "Dates, I can take them or leave them."

Emma sighed. "I'm thinking I'm going to take a break from sex for a while."

Ruby huffed a laugh. "Yeah, Lacey predicted that."

"I wish you hadn't _told_ her. She's a total bitch, and I _don't_ want this getting around."

"She's not a total bitch."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Just because you want in her pants doesn't mean she's not a bitch and a hooker."

"And her hooker cash is paying for your abortion. Be grateful."

The whole thing was clinical and over quickly enough. Emma came out, a bit loopy on anesthetic, and the doctor told her to take it easy for a few days to not start up the bleeding.

Ruby offered to take her home, but it was still before noon, and Emma said that she needed to go back to school.

"Are you sure? I can take you to mine and put you to bed there. Granny's working today."

"No, no. 's just school. I'll be fine."

x x x

Emma wasn't fine. She hurt, and she wanted to cry, and she'd forgotten she had fucking gym today, and the teacher wouldn't let her sit out even though she didn't change. He was like, "You've got sneakers on. Get jogging!" And that made her stomach hurt even more.

And then the worst thing happened. Ms. Mills caught her in the hallway right as the last bell rang.

"Miss Blanchard." Her voice was icy, and Emma froze. "Do you, by chance, have a moment?"

Emma looked at her, eyes wide, and her stomach _hurting_. "I, uh, I have to—"

"My office. Now."

Ms. Mills strode off, and Emma had no choice but to follow her. The history teachers' offices were a tiny corridor packed with three desks, but none of the others were there at the moment. Ms. Mills picked something up off her desk and turned to face Emma.

"I was looking forward to seeing you this morning, Miss Blanchard," she said. "I was going to be pleased to give you this."

She showed her the essay Emma had turned in the morning before. It had an A on it. Emma wanted to cry.

"But, apparently you decided it wasn't worth it to show up in my class. So, I suppose it isn't worth it to give you this."

Regina started to rip the essay down the center.

"No," Emma begged, and then a shooting pain shot through her stomach and she doubled over.

Ms. Mills' eyes widened, and then dropped and widened further. "_Emma!_"

"I'm _sorry_," Emma pled. "I'm so sorry I missed your class."

"Are you bleeding?"

Emma looked down, and fuck, fuck that gym teacher, fuck everyone, fuck Neal and fuck alcohol and fuck _her_ for being such an _idiot_. And then Emma did start to cry.

"Emma…" Ms. Mills was helping her sit down, offering her water, and feeling her forehead, and frowning seriously at her.

Emma gave in. She grabbed her teacher by the lapels and buried her face in her neck, and sobbed pathetically.

Stiffly, slowly, Ms. Mills' arms went around her and patted her tentatively on the back. "Emma," she sighed. "I thought you were smarter than this."

"So did I," Emma whimpered. "But drunk me is really, really not that smart."

"A lesson we all must learn." Regina sat back, carefully extracting herself from Emma's grip. "Now. Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"Oh, please no. My mom's there today, and she _can't_ find out."

Ms. Mills looked at her. "No, I suppose that wouldn't be for the best."

Emma went wide eyed. "You agree?"

"Your mother who was going to become a nun before she met your father, and then has been treating your father's accident as her punishment for premarital sex for the last eighteen years? No, I think that admitting your mortal weaknesses might not be best for either of you. Perhaps, instead, you should come to mine and we can call the clinic and see what we're supposed to do."

Both relieved and astonished Emma stared at her and nodded. "I, yeah. That sounds good." She flushed. "Thank you."

"Oh, you'll owe me more than thanks, but I do like to take responsibility for my favorite trouble makers."

x x x

Ruby hated bowling. Most of all, she hated it when Emma wasn't there, but Emma was kind of taking a break from everyone right now, which was totally understandable, which meant she had to play with Neal, who was terrible, and Lacey, who didn't give a fuck. Ruby was pretty sure that the only reason she came was to show off her ass in that short skirt and make Ruby gutterball more than usual. For someone who was 'totally straight,' she was a fucking tease.

And, of course, the idiot threesome bowled like it was their calling. Riley never got less than a spare, Phil was focused and solid, and Dawn was like a child savant being trained by her two careful tutors, and whichever one of them advised her on a successful shot got a kiss. Ruby was also pretty sure that Riley's were only on the cheek for propriety's sake, and that she'd get all the full on mouth ones once they were alone. It was a suspicion that made Lacey's half-serious come-ons only piss her off more.

The idiot threesome had essentially won, and Phil and Dawn had taken the opportunity to make out in a single chair at the table. Ruby had some pride, and was standing at the machine with Riley, waiting for their balls to come back. Ruby glanced over at the table and grimaced to see Dawn grinding lightly into Phil's lap. She turned away and caught Riley's eye.

"Doesn't that bother you?"

Riley raised a single eyebrow and adjusted the shades sitting on top of her head. "Why should it bother me? They're my friends. They're in love."

Ruby made a face. "In love? They're teenagers. It's going to be over at graduation, unless someone gets pregnant, and then they'll both find other people to slut around with."

Riley frowned slightly. "Why is this on your mind? To be frank, it isn't your business."

She threw and got a strike, and Ruby scowled. "Just tell me, have you fucked them both or just her?"

"I would _not_ insult their relationship like that."

"Oh _come on_. They insult it all the time. Phil gets so stoned that he doesn't even notice who's riding him, and Dawn's a little whore when she's—"

The punch came out of nowhere, a fucking roundhouse right to her cheek, and Ruby staggered back, cupping her bleeding mouth, in serious pain. Riley just glared at her, both fists clenched. She stepped forward, menacingly.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Lacey pushed between them, planting a hand on Riley's chest and pushing her back. "Get _off_ of her."

Neal was gaping at everyone, and Phil and Dawn were looking a little appalled.

"Ri, girl. Cool down," said Phil.

Riley's fists uncurled slightly, but her expression only got blacker.

Lacey turned and moved Ruby's hand away from her face. "Man, that's going to be _bad_." She tugged her toward the concession stand. "Hey! Get me a bag of ice!"

Ruby just moaned slightly. Too much pain.

The ice was a relief and Lacey pulled her outside to a bench next to the parking lot and held it against her mouth. "Tsk, tsk," Lacey muttered. "You shouldn't let people mess up your pretty face."

Ruby made a pathetic noise in response. It hurt too much to talk.

"What did you say to her anyway? No, don't tell me, just nod if I'm right. You insulted her slutty girlfriend."

Ruby nodded weakly.

"You really don't like losing, do you?" Lacey leaned in and planted a light kiss on her forehead. "Now, heal up quick, because the party next weekend is on. And… maybe I'll even give you a hurt/comfort threesome."

Ruby rolled her eyes and pinched her, hard.

"Hey! Ungrateful little brat!"

x x x

Dawn was the last one to be dropped off, and Riley could feel her eyes on her as she focused hard on the road. She pulled up in front of the dark McMansion and waited, but Dawn didn't get out of the car.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?"

Riley wouldn't look at her. She didn't need those curious, far too sly and intelligent eyes staring her down and niggling the truth out of her. But not looking at her didn't stop Dawn's hand from coming to rest on her leg.

"Do I need to guess? Does it have… something to do with my honor?"

Riley huffed exasperation out her nose. "I suppose you know me too well."

Dawn smacked her shoulder. "You are _always_ getting in fights over me. I can look after my _own_ honor, thank you very much! At least if you were my boyfriend you might have an excuse—"

"I had to defend Phillip as well!"

"Because what Ruby Lucas, the second easiest girl in town, thinks is so important? Come on." Dawn carefully crawled into Riley's lap and put her arms around her neck, pulling her in for a hug. "It bothers you because it's true, isn't it?" she murmured. "Bet she said I was a slut, and I kinda am when I'm drunk. I'm lucky I've got you to take care of me."

"You're just… open and… friendly."

Dawn laughed into her ear. "Yep, that's it exactly."

Riley's arms closed around her waist and they stayed like that, silent, for a little while. "I am… slightly worried about what you'll do when Philip and I leave for college."

"Maybe you'll just have to come back for all the parties."

"Maybe you'll need to miss some of them."

Dawn grinned. "But Lacey's going to be leaving too, and then I'm going to be the one with the big empty house and pool. I'm going to have to host."

Riley raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps I did overreact, when clearly everything she said was absolutely true."

"So, she didn't say we were poly? Because I get that one a lot."

Riley looked into her face and considered kissing her. But they were both sober, and she never initiated. That was the rule. "No," she said. "She didn't suggest that – explicitly. She did ask if I had been with both of you, but not together."

Dawn considered her. "You lied, didn't you?"

"Like a rug."

Dawn laughed and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Come on. My parents aren't home tonight. Stay over and we can snuggle."

"I never get any sleep if I stay over with you. You're a night owl."

Dawn snorted. "I'm an insomniac, don't make it sound like a choice. But it's Sunday tomorrow, you don't have to get up for anything."

Riley sighed. "Fine. I will keep you company on this dark endless night."

"So sweet."

x x x


	2. Chapter 2

"Miss Blanchard."

Emma stopped, and turned, almost eagerly, happily, to see Ms. Mills come bearing down on her in the hallway. "Hello, Ms. Mills!"

"Feeling better, I see?"

Emma nodded.

"Good," Regina said with a smile. "Now, its time for you to start paying me back."

Emma's eyes widened. "What?"

"I told you you'd owe me."

"I," Emma scratched her neck nervously. "What do you want me to do?" She knew it was dumb to hope for sex, but really, she would totally be honored.

"Marking."

"Huh?"

"You are a reasonably good history student. And you did quite well in World History freshman year."

Emma nodded.

"You are going to become my unpaid TA for the rest of the semester. I have a pile of homeworks for you to grade, and I expect them to be correctly and conscientiously gone over."

Oh, great. Emma sighed, but nodded. It wasn't like Regina didn't have the most epic blackmail material ever. "Okay."

"Excellent. Meet me in my office at the end of school, though, I think, perhaps, we'll move to the diner. Coffee makes this go much faster. Wine is actually the best, but though what you do on your own time is your own business, you are not drinking with me."

She gave Emma a nod, then turned and strode off down the hall, and Emma couldn't help feeling impossibly special and happy. Sure, grading was going to be miserable, but Ms. Mills had picked _her_. It was kind of the best thing ever.

x x x

"Sooo," Ruby said, sliding in next to her at the lunch table. "You up for Lacey's party this weekend?"

Emma made a face. "Honestly? No. But I might come anyway. Not drink too much."

Ruby nodded and squeezed her arm. "I'm kind of freaking out about it myself. Lacey kind of promised me a threesome."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "A two girl threesome? Like… you and Lacey, and some dude who's only there to provide the cock?"

Ruby turned red under her bruise. Emma frowned. "Also, what happened to your face?"

"A bowling altercation. Don't ask." She glanced away and Emma followed her look to the trifecta, Dawn half in Riley's lap and feeding bits of baby carrot to Phil across the table.

"Jesus. You know she does MMA."

"She doesn't do MMA, that's just a rumor."

Emma rolled her eyes. "She totally does MMA. The rumor is that she killed someone during a match. You got off easy."

Ruby flipped her off.

"Either way," Emma said easily. "I need a complete blow-by-blow of this threesome. So don't you dare blackout."

x x x

"Hey," Lacey said. "You think I can get some E and weed for this weekend?"

"Of course, dearie," Eliot said.

They were in his son's old room, model airplanes dangling from the ceiling, Lacey on her knees on his mini racecar-blanketed bed, ass in the air. It was a little creepy. But sex with stuffed animal eyes watching you was always a little creepy.

"Are you planning any extra special escapades at this event?"

Lacey laughed. "Kind of. There's this girl who's way into me, and I said we could have a threesome with someone. Haven't decided on the third yet."

"A girl, is it?"

"Yeah," Lacey sighed as he fondled her breasts. It was turning her on a little more than usual. "I'm not quite sure how far I want to go with her yet, though. She's pretty hot, but I don't know how far the 'not gay' line extends."

"I think," said Eliot, sounding amused, "that once you've put your head between her legs, you've crossed it."

Lacey glanced over her shoulder and grinned at him, rubbing her butt into his groin. "Good to know."

He slid into her, all soft and smooth and easy, ribbed condom too, and Lacey was getting _paid_ for this shit. It was awesome.

"Why, may I ask, are you particularly worried about the 'not gay' line? I thought children of your generation didn't have a problem with bisexuality."

And suddenly, Lacey wasn't turned on at all anymore. She held onto the racecar blanket and tried to regain the feeling. "Maybe in the city," she said. "Here it's a bit more provincial. My dad would flip."

"I see. You're afraid of it getting out."

Lacey sighed. "Maybe." She'd done worse things. Like, say, this. Getting fucked for money on a seven-year-old's bed. (Well, he wasn't seven anymore, but he also hadn't lived here since he was seven, and this room was in way too good of a shape.) "Things that happen while you're drunk, it's like, whatever. Or things that happen for — reasons." _i.e. cash._ "But I don't do relationships and that that sort of shit, and girls are needy, right? I mean, this one, she's a lot like me. But she kind of looks at me sometimes like, well, like she _likes_ me, and the last thing I need is a fucking girlfriend. It's like, six months, and then I'm out of here, and I _don't_ want anything holding me down."

x x x

"Hey Emz!"

Emma stiffened, but Neal's arms were already around her waist and he was kissing her cheek.

"I haven't seen you in like, forever!"

"Hey Neal," Emma said tentatively. He smelled a little drunk already, and it was barely noon. People were trickling into Lacey's house, carrying booze and towels. It was bright and sunny outside, and Emma spotted Ruby in a bikini mixing drinks by the pool. Lacey was bringing her more bottles like party favors, hips swinging like she wanted Ruby to watch them, and Emma really wanted to be out there, with a Mojito, and not anywhere with Neal.

"I learned a new magic trick, if you want to see it. And, oh, I learned how to do the _shocker_ too." He squeezed her butt. "We could try that instead."

He rubbed up against her, and she could feel him getting hard. "Not _now_," she said, shoving him off. "I'm here to see my friends, not fuck around with you!"

Neal's eyes went wide and hurt. "Aren't we friends?"

"Of course," Emma sighed. "But right now, me and your penis, we are _not_ friends. Okay? So keep it to yourself."

Neal looked utterly confused. He looked down at his crotch. "You're not friends with my penis?" He unfastened his jeans and started pulling it out. "But look, it's so nice. It's never done anything to—"

"Put it away, Neal!" Lacey snapped, shoving him from the side and making him accidentally catch himself in his zipper and squeal. "Emma's gone off cock. Deal with it!"

"Gone off _cock_?" Neal's eyes went wide. "But why? How? I _love_ cock!"

"We know that, Neal," Lacey said with a grin. "So why don't you go show some love to some other cocks and keep yours away from Emma, 'kay? I heard Mr. Jones is coming, and I'm sure his cock needs some loving."

"Oh," Neal said, sounding pleased. Then he frowned at Lacey. "I'm not gay."

"Sure, honey." Lacey put her arm around Emma's shoulders and drew her out to the pool and over to Ruby. "Fix this girl a Mojito," she said. "She was already nearly molested by Neal's little friend, and I'm sure she needs one after that."

"Aww, baby," Ruby gave her a hug, and then started mixing her drink.

Emma sighed and took it. Maybe she _had_ gone off cock. At the very least, she was planning a good long break.

x x x

By the time it started to get dark, and the autumn weather turn chilly, most everyone was shitfaced. Dawn had already passed out in a chaise and Riley was looking on idly as various people were putting temporary tattoos on her face and arms. Ruby was a little amused by this – but only a little, because Riley was really not amusing after she punched you in the face.

Lacey was selling E for twenty dollars a pop, and the roll of bills between her breasts was going to stop fitting soon. Inside the house, the music was loud and people were dancing. Around ten, the college students arrived.

Killian and his friends Graham and Astrid rolled in, carrying more booze and a bag containing a hookah. Ruby saw Killian make a move toward Emma and quickly slipped in to draw her off.

"Hey, how you doing?" Ruby asked her friend. Emma sighed and held up her half full drink that she'd been nursing slowly. If Ruby was counting correctly, it was her third in about ten hours, so she totally wasn't drunk.

"I might head home soon," she said. "I'm kind of bored."

"Want me to walk you?"

Emma laughed. "I think I'm less drunk than you. And come on, you don't want to miss your threesome, do you?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Lacey's a tease."

"You knew that before. But she's been pretty cool tonight. Both of you've been keeping an eye on me and jumping in if I looked like I needed help."

"Yeah?" Ruby smiled.

Emma punched her on the arm. "You _like_ like her, don't you? Should have known. If you'd just wanted to get your lesbian on, you would've done it with me."

"I _don't_. And I'd never do anything with you. You're like my _sister_, or something."

"Now I feel so unattractive!"

"Aww," Ruby leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. "Well, you know, incest is kind of sexy."

Emma grinned at her. "Dumbass. I'm going home. I'm pretty sure Lacey's having some gay panic and would _not_ be up for making this threesome just us girls."

Ruby snorted. "Nope. She 'does not see the point in fucking without a cock.'"

"Whereas _I_," Emma pronounced. "No longer see the point in fucking with a cock. Fucking trouble. And really, I spent yesterday afternoon grading papers with Ms. Mills in a low cut shirt. My spank bank is fucking full."

Ruby laughed and kissed her again, this time with a little tongue. "Get home safe. Text me when you're there."

"Yeah, yeah, you big gay slut. I'll text you." Emma waved and made her way out the door.

When she was gone, Ruby felt herself get sad. It wasn't really the same anymore, with Emma all messed up. It was like, they weren't lucky anymore, weren't immune. Not that they ever had been, as the wave of Chlamydia that had gone around the school in junior year had shown. But still…

"You done sticking your tongue down your best friend's throat?" Lacey inquired, coming up behind her and putting her hand on the small of Ruby's back.

Ruby turned and smiled. "Thought she needed a little loving."

"Yeah, she really did," Lacey agreed, then looped her arms around her shoulders and pressed their hips together. Ruby's arms went around her waist. "Dance with me?"

Ruby smiled and leaned in to brush their lips together, swaying slightly. Since the music was 3OH!3, it wasn't exactly appropriate. But when Lacey opened her mouth and pulled her in closer, it became appropriately dirty quite quickly.

"You up for this?" Lacey murmured in her ear.

"When am I not up for sex?" Ruby growled back. She let her hand curl around Lacey's cheek, fingertips running down her neck.

Lacey started to smile. She leaned in and licked up Ruby's lips then murmured right against them. "It's really not _fair_ that you're this sexy."

"Hey." A scruff-bearded college guy had sidled up and gave them a bright smile. "Are you two good on your own, or do you want company? I could be company? But, if you're good on your own, that's fine, and I'll just take myself right off."

Lacey caught her eye and Ruby smiled. He was cute enough, and polite.

"I think we're looking for company." Lacey grabbed one arm and Ruby grabbed the other and they towed him toward the stairs.

Up in Lacey's bedroom, they let him go. He flushed pink. "Hi," he said. "I'm Graham."

"Nice to meet you," Lacey said, dropping onto her bed, and threw him a pack of condoms. "Those fit?"

He glanced at them and turned redder. "Yes."

"Excellent." Lacey turned to Ruby, mouthing 'magnum' and Ruby laughed. This was like some crazy farce. Lacey crooked a finger, calling her near, and Ruby crawled onto her lap. Lacey kissed her, dirty and wet, and Ruby tasted her, laughing a little as she felt Lacey pulling on the bow that held her bikini top together.

"I thought you had a thing about breasts."

Lacey shrugged, and de-topped her in one swift move. "I like yours."

"Kinda gay, darling."

Lacey pulled her hair. "Shut up. Unless I lick your pussy, everything we do here is totally just girls gone wild. Nothing gay about it."

"Whatever you say." Ruby got her out of her sarong and bikini top quick enough. "'s not gay, so I'm just going to…" she leaned in and caught Lacey's nipple in her mouth.

"Fuck!" But Lacey's hand cupped the back of her head and didn't let her pull away. "Hey, come here," she heard Lacey say, and felt Graham coming up by them. He settled onto the bed next to them, not touching, just watching, and he was naked and hard and already suited up.

"This is very sexy," he said, rather happily.

Ruby laughed and started kissing Lacey's neck and down her collarbone. She tasted of chlorine and vodka. She purred, tangling her fingers in Ruby's hair.

"Are you two girlfriends?" asked Graham. "Just let me know what you need me to do."

Lacey stiffened slightly and pulled back. "Um, so how exactly is this going to work?"

Ruby sat back on her lap and considered her, then looked over at Graham, who was kind of looking like he'd be totally happy if he just got to watch. "You really won't go down? That's a hard limit?"

Lacey made a face, scrunching up her nose, and looking really impossibly cute. "Well, you know, maybe not _hard_."

Ruby laughed at her and kissed her nose. "You're backsliding."

"You're just annoyingly attractive, okay?"

"Then I'll go first."

Lacey gave her a sidelong look. "You… want to?"

"Well, I like the way you taste everywhere else. I might as well give it a shot."

Lacey bit her lower lip. "I never really thought of it like that."

"I still get first dibs." Ruby wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm going to work you up until you're right on the edge, and then I'm going to let him fuck you, and you're going to do me, and then he can fuck me, and, then, well, we'll probably need a break."

"Awesome plan," Lacey said, and pulled Ruby down onto her. Ruby kissed her sloppily.

"Yes. I agree," said Graham.

Lacey did taste delicious. She gasped and squirmed and swore. "Fuck, Ruby! Fuck!" Ruby sucked at her clit and slid two fingers inside of her. Lacey bucked and came.

"Oops." Ruby glanced guiltily over at Graham, who grinned. Lacey groaned. "Fuck it," Ruby said, and went back for more.

This time she let Graham slide in to finish the job. Lacey jerked her up and had her bottoms off in a flash, and started touching her, then rolled over so Graham could take her from behind, and so she could have a better angle to get her mouth involved.

"Come on, this way!"

"No, move over here!"

"Um, maybe we could not be in this particular position?"

"Should I change condoms?"

Ruby scoffed. "Don't bother. I just ate her out. I'm already coming down with whatever she's got."

"Hey! I had a blood panel like last month. I'm _fine_. It's whatever you've got that I have now!"

"Come on, Graham, I'm sure you have another in you."

Graham gasped for air, kneeling on the edge of the bed, his dick flopping limply. Lacey teased it encouragingly. Ruby curled in behind her, kissing her neck and touching her breasts, Lacey making encouraging murmurs whenever she started to make a hickey. Finally it started taking an interest in the proceedings.

"Come on, this boy deserves a bit of attention for being such a good sport."

Graham gasped again. "I, you know, I think I've had quite a lot of attention actually." He put his hand to his chest and looked pained.

Ruby pushed him down. "Just relax, we've got you."

Lacey grinned at her and leaned across his hips to kiss her. Four hands and a couple of quick jerks, and Graham came, hardly any liquid left, lightly spattering his own chest. He gave a wrenching sort of groan, and Ruby crawled over his limp body to get back to Lacey.

Three orgasms later, Ruby fell back, her arm crashing into Graham's shoulder. "God damn, you're amazing," she mumbled. Then frowned. "Think he passed out?"

Lacey crawled up the bed to take a look. Her eyes widened. "I think he's dead."

Ruby sat up sharply. "What?" She looked at him. His eyes were partway open and glassy, and he definitely wasn't breathing. "Shit, shit, shit! Did he, like, choke on his vomit or something? Get— get Riley. Get someone who knows CPR."

Lacey, wild eyed and panicked, and half wrapped in a sheet, bolted for the door. Ruby, not at all sure of what to do, tipped his head back and stuck her finger in his mouth to try to clear his windpipe.

Riley burst in in a moment and shoved her away. "Did he have any E?"

"I don't _know_," Ruby said. "Not while we were with him."

"Call fucking 911. Call it now." Then Riley bent over Graham's body and started CPR.

x x x

Graham was breathing the oxygen when the EMTs carried the stretcher out to the ambulance. The defibrillator had started his heart up again. But Lacey felt like she was going to puke. Guests were leaving the house like it was a sinking ship. The cops would probably show up in a few seconds. You didn't get an ambulance without getting cops. Lacey, still wrapped in her sheet, shook uncontrollably.

"Hey," a soft voce addressed her and a hand touched her shoulder. Lacey looked up to find Ruby, who had managed to get her hands on some clothes, offering her a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Lacey tried to pull them on, but her shaking hands weren't working correctly, and Ruby had to help her. Then Ruby stepped into her and tried to put her arms around her.

"No! Don't touch me!" Lacey jerked back. "This shouldn't have happened. We shouldn't have _done_ this. If this isn't a sign, what the hell is?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "It's a shitty accident," she said. "If he had a bad reaction to the E, it could have happened anywhere. It was just bad luck that it happened—"

"While we were too busy fucking to notice? He could have serious brain damage! He could go into a coma. This is my house. I could be held responsible for this!"

"Well that's what you risk when you have stupid parties!"

"Oh, that's fucking hypocritical!"

"Lacey!" Ruby grabbed her arms and shook her. "Relax!"

"How can I relax? He _died_. He died in my bed."

"They started his heart. He could be totally fine!"

Lacey started to cry. Ruby pulled her in and wrapped her up in her arms. "Hey, hey," she murmured, cuddling her close and half rocking her in her arms. "Come on. Let's just… get through this. It'll be okay."

x x x


	3. Chapter 3

Riley got out of the shower, still feeling a little shaky. Dawn was on the bed, curled up around her knees, and rubbing uselessly at a temporary tattoo. She looked up and gave a small smirk. "So, you like, saved that guy's life. That's pretty badass."

Riley smiled at her and went to find her pajamas. "I can only hope he'll be all right. I cannot believe how long it took for Lacey and Ruby to notice he'd gone into cardiac arrest."

Dawn giggled. "They fucked him to death, didn't they?"

"It was probably a reaction to Ecstasy. That happens. People can just die of it."

Dawn made a face. "And yet, he didn't arrest until _after_ they fucked him senseless."

"And they didn't notice." Riley rolled her eyes. "Some people are just the most _selfish_—"

Dawn grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the bed. "Maybe they were just really into it." She climbed into Riley's lap, then leaned in to kiss her. "But, you, dear, deserve a reward for your heroism."

"Ah, the benefits of being the only sober person at a party." The kiss was gentle and sweet. Then Dawn started giggling. "What?" Dawn leaned into her shoulder, still laughing.

"I'm totally spreading it all around school on Monday," she said. "Lacey and Ruby fucked a college guy to death, and were too busy doing each other to notice."

x x x

"I'm very sorry for worrying you both," Graham said, sitting half-propped up in his hospital bed.

Lacey frowned at him. Ruby was standing behind her, arms around her shoulders, pulling her close into her body, chin pressed against the side of her head.

"I probably should have mentioned my heart condition. I usually need to avoid excess exertion. But I never thought…" He blushed. "But I really must thank you. I enjoyed it all very much. You two are very beautiful together."

Out in the hallway, Lacey groaned and sank down on a bench. "So, worst sex ever?"

Ruby crouched down next to her. "Really? I'm going more for worst morning after ever. Because the sex was really kind of good. Even the guy who _died_ agrees."

Lacey gave her a look and rolled her eyes. "The guy we _killed_."

"He's all right now. And he didn't tell us he had a heart condition! That's like, important full disclosure info for threesomes."

Lacey laughed, but it was less hysterical than it had been before.

Ruby slid in next to her and pulled her in for a hug. "Come on, don't tell me the sex was really all bad."

Lacey pouted. "The guy dying kind of killed the mood."

"Nuh uh. We totally didn't even notice. He was probably seizing for like a couple of minutes and we were all, _hey girl_."

Lacey shoved her. "Shut up."

"Kinda gay?"

Lacey dropped her head onto her shoulder. "Seriously, seriously gay."

x x x

"So," Lacey sighed, sliding her tray onto the table and settling down next to Ruby. "My dad got home, and the police called, and now I'm grounded for the rest of senior year."

Emma took a look at them both. "You guys are really doing this?"

Ruby and Lacey looked blankly at her and then at each other and then back at her. "Doing what?" Ruby asked.

Emma shook her head. "Seriously. I leave you alone for like two hours, and someone has to call an ambulance. And then, Monday, I show up and everyone's talking about how you two fucked a college guy to death."

"Well," Ruby said. "We did."

Lacey elbowed her in the side, and they grinned at each other. "It was tragic," she added. "But the sex was really good."

"Oh?" Ruby turned to her. "You're admitting that now? You done with the whole 'it was a sin and we're being punished, and you're never allowed to touch me again' business?"

"That was like five minutes! And he had just _died_!"

"So," Emma tried. "Are you guys like, going out now?"

"What?" Ruby stared at her.

Lacey went stiff and a little pinched. "Why would you even think that?"

"Because the word is, you two _fucked a guy to death_. And then _didn't notice_. Because you were too into each other to actually care."

"I thought he had passed out," Ruby said. "People do that."

Emma shook her head. "It's just, people are talking about you, and then you're sitting together and flirting, and it just seems like you kind of want people to think you're with each other."

"No," Lacey put up her hand and rolled her eyes. "That's not how it goes. People know me. They know _us_. And we are both considered total hos. They are going to think we're selfish, sex-obsessed bitches, who cannot take a break when there might be an orgasm to be had. And all of that – is true. They're not going to be like – oh, that was clearly a epiphanic experience where they realized that their true calling is pussy."

Ruby looked at her. "You just used the word 'epiphanic' in the same sentence as 'pussy.'"

Lacey glared back. "I read."

Ruby just grinned. "Kind of hot."

Emma groaned.

"Um, hey." Bruce had wandered up to their table and was giving Ruby and Lacey a sexy smirk. "Just letting you guys know, my heart is totally healthy, just in case you want to give it another try."

Ruby started to giggle. Lacey grinned. "Thanks for the info," she said.

He gave them a hipster salute and sauntered off.

"See," Lacey said. "This is just more slut cred. People don't one-eighty when they think they know you."

x x x

Emma walked down the hall next to Ruby and gave her a suspicious look. "So, did you realize that your true calling is pussy?"

"What?" Ruby looked at her, then made a face and laughed. "My true calling is sex," she said. "Whatever shape it may take."

"So you were totally into it, then."

"Hell yeah.' Ruby grinned. "It was so fucking hot. And Graham was nice, but you totally said it. He was just there to provide the cock – and the traumatizing conclusion to the event."

"Did you need him?"

"To make Lacey cool with it? Yes. To get off? No."

"Gay lines were crossed?"

"She went down on me three times. Gay lines were _so_ crossed." Ruby smiled and gave Emma a pleased look. "Thanks for trying earlier. But she's never going to go out with me. I'm just happy taking what I can get."

"Yeah, well my current girl-crush isn't even going to let me get _anywhere_. So, feel lucky."

"_Three times_, Emz. I _am_ lucky."

"Miss Blanchard!"

Emma straightened up and looked happily toward the voice. "Afternoon, Ms. Mills."

"Do you have those papers I gave you?"

"Yep, all done!" Emma gave Ruby a two-finger salute and hurried after her teacher. Ruby watched her go with a bemused look on her face. Well, a safe crush was a safe crush. And Ms. Mills was definitely the sexy teacher.

x x x

"I heard that your party was quite an event," said Eliot, pouring tea.

Lacey sighed and curled up in the overstuffed armchair, taking a sip. "No joke there. Ambulances around here usually make the morning news. But, no one's dead _now_. So we made it out okay. Though my dad tried to kill me." She pulled down her shirt and showed off the blackening bruise. "And I'm grounded forever. And he wants me to start dating this business pal of his so I stop screwing around."

"I'm sorry," he said.

Lacey shrugged.

"And how did the assignation with your young lady go?"

Lacey blinked at him, then laughed. "Oh, well, you know. _My_ young lady is just too proper to ever appear at such a ribald event," she mocked him sarcastically. Then she dropped back into the chair. "Until we figured out that the guy had just died in my bed, it was pretty great." She rolled her eyes. "Gay lines were crossed."

Eliot looked intrigued.

"She's fucking gorgeous, and gives the best head I've ever had in my life, and her fingers are like nine miles long, and her skin tastes like – I dunno, like salt and sex and bourbon and lime – and I wasn't going to not pay back the favor."

"And did you enjoy it?"

"Making her thrash, and close her perfect fucking thighs around my head, and pull my hair? God, yes I did." Lacey stared down into her tea. "But what does that make me?"

"It makes you no more or less of a sexual being than you were before," said Eliot, plainly. "You have always enjoyed a wide variety of forms of eroticism. You have just added a few more onto your list. And sexual compatibility is just that – sexual. You and I are reasonably sexually compatible, but I doubt you would ever be interested in a more long lasting and emotional affair than our current arrangement."

Lacey offered a saucy grin. "What? You don't want me to be your kept woman?"

"Do _you_ want to be a kept woman?"

Lacey sighed. "No. That's the whole point, isn't it? Everyone tries to _keep_ me. Maybe I just want to be free."

"Then be free."

x x x

"What's this I hear about you fucking a boy to death?"

Ruby froze and turned to face her grandmother, feeling her cheeks start to heat up. "He's fine," she said. "He had a heart condition that we didn't know about."

"We?" Granny raised an eyebrow. "You and that Lacey girl? The only one who's managed to garner a _worse_ reputation than you?"

"She's _not_ that bad."

"And have you slept with her frequently enough to know that?"

Ruby put her hands on her hips and stuck out her jaw. "She's my friend. No one's allowed to call her a hooker but me."

Granny gave her a narrow-eyed look. "You have terrible taste in girlfriends."

Ruby started. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"But you want her to be."

"Why would you think that?" It came out a little shriller than Ruby had intended.

Granny flashed a small smile. "No reason. I just know you."

Ruby shut her eyes and wished she could disappear.

"I'm just… not sure if it would work out. She's a bit wild, isn't she?"

"And I'm _not_?"

Granny looked at her. "You like fun," she said. "But you belong here, and you know it. You have work; you have roots. You'll be back. And that girl won't want to be tied down to a small town like this one."

Ruby stared at her, feeling like she'd been hit, her fate spelled out for her in so many words. "Maybe I won't come back."

Granny shrugged. "And maybe she'll have enough of running free. But I'm not betting on either of those horses."

x x x

"Sooo, my parents still aren't home." Dawn grinned and Phil leaned in and kissed her mouth, pinching her cheek.

"My little nympho."

Dawn flushed and wouldn't meet his eyes. It was always a little awkward after a party. He would invariably get stoned, and she'd go home with Riley, and they'd hook up. She loved hooking up with Riley when she was drunk. Riley was never drunk, and could make her see stars until she passed out. It was usually the best sleep she got. But she wasn't dating _Riley_. She was dating Phil. And she always fucked him a day or two after the party to apologize for the cheating.

She tugged him upstairs into the guest bedroom – her parents wouldn't be home before the cleaning service came, and she couldn't be arsed to change the sheets on her own bed, so they kind of still smelled like Riley, and stripped him out of his Henley, kissing his neck and the firm muscles of his shoulders.

Dawn was kind of into muscles, and Henleys, and it was only right that both her regular hookups were pretty well endowed with them both. (Though sometimes she wondered if Phil and Riley coordinated, because they had all the same shirts and yet only rarely ended up matching. Though it was hilarious when they did. Those were the days where she really wondered if poly might actually work for them, or, well, at the very least if they could make a video, just the one time.)

Phil picked her up and set her on the bed, and started making a half-assed fumble at the fastenings on her skirt. Really, skirts were _not_ that hard to get undone, and neither were bras. Riley could usually get her naked in a minute and a half. They had timed it a few times, at speed, and the record was fifty-two seconds – including boots and stockings.

Dawn batted his hands away and managed it herself. He took the opportunity to shuck his own pants and she handed him a condom. "Um," he looked at it. "Do we have to—"

"Yes. Don't be gross," she said. She _hated_ the feeling of cum inside her.

He pouted. "I'll pull out."

"You have ten seconds to not be a douche or the offer's off."

Phil grinned and opened the packet. "You're just squeamish."

"Says the guy who thinks his ass is a sacred temple."

His cock drooped. "Hey!" he said. "Don't bring that up."

Dawn shrugged, amused by his reaction. "God, I just wanted to _try_ pegging, and you had a fit."

Riley hadn't been too receptive to the idea either. But she'd let Dawn fuck her, eyes locked, arms tight around her shoulders, hips moving together, rocking. It had been kind of super intense. And Dawn had kissed her, wet and dirty and open, and felt it when Riley came and moaned into her mouth. She had been totally high on the power of it. It had been great.

Phil was pouting again and Dawn rolled her eyes and dropped to her knees. She took the head into her mouth, grimacing slightly at the taste of latex and gave his balls a squeeze. He perked right up. She played a little longer, disliking this utterly, but feeling a little guilty for bringing up what he didn't like, and then felt like sticking her finger up his butt in vengeance for him being a wimp. But… that was _mean_.

"Come on." She crawled back up on the bed, shedding her underwear and top, and let him climb on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his annoyingly skinny boy hips and let him slide right in.

It was good. He had a nice sized cock – not too big, not too small. He was cute and his short hair was fuzzy under her hands. And, well, he deserved this, since Riley had gotten her heroism reward on Saturday night and _then_ some.

Sweaty and panting, she felt him come, filling the condom inside of her. Then he took hold of the end and slowly pulled out. He stripped it off, chucked it at the wastebasket, and flopped down beside her. "Man," he curled into her, fondling her breasts absently. "You're a great girl."

"I know."

Phil laughed, and then looked at her, unexpectedly intense. "You're beautiful."

He leaned down and kissed her.

She smiled. Where was this going? This was totally not normal post coital conversation.

He rolled off the bed and fumbled around in his jeans, then took something out. "Uh, so, I was wondering, if you might want to…" He held out his class ring. Dawn froze. "Like, you're amazing, and I'm feeling a little tense about going off to college, and I thought it might be nice if we, like, had a commitment, you know. So, um, Dawn. Want to be my girl, and like, my potential fiancée?"

_Crap_.

x x x

"Lacey!" Dawn appeared out of nowhere, hissing her name, grabbing her arm, and jerking her, all of a sudden, into the girl's bathroom. "I need help."

"_What_?" Lacey gave her a look. "Seriously? I know it was you who spread it all around about me and Ruby banging a guy to death."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Come on. You know there was no way that was going to stay quiet. I just let nature take its course."

"You are a little brat." Lacey made a face. "And you remind me way too much of myself. What do you need help with?"

Dawn sighed and leaned against the sink. "You're good at – not being in relationships. And I kind of need some advice on that front."

Lacey raised an eyebrow. "You want to dump someone? Which one? Both?"

"No! I just," Dawn fished around in her pocket and pulled out one of those idiotic class rings. "This is my problem."

Lacey blinked at it. "Seriously? Phil?"

Dawn nodded. "He's all like – promise ring, commitment, future, and I'm like, wait– wait– _no_."

"You're _fifteen._ What is he _thinking_?"

"Exactly! I'm fifteen! I want, like, dates and making out and to pass school, not, marriage and kids and never fucking anyone else as long as I live."

Lacey frowned at her. "So you guys _aren't_ poly?"

Dawn groaned. "Jesus. Everyone thinks that. And yeah, fine, it would be kind of ideal. They're both super hot and I would love to watch. But they don't think of each other like that. I've asked. Phil laughs like I've asked him to fuck a fish, and Riley just looks kind of ill and horrified."

"And they don't share you?"

"Not… at the same time." Dawn laughed, scratching her ear a little nervously. "I'm Phil's girlfriend, and I hook up with his best friend when I'm drunk."

"Ho."

"I _know_ that."

Lacey frowned and crossed her arms, staring at the kid. "So, what are you? Straight, or gay, or bi, or like, game, or whatever?"

Dawn blinked at her. "Uh, relevance? I'm bi, _obviously_. Like you."

Lacey straightened, like cold water had splashed down her back. "I'm not _bi_. I'm straight. I'm just _game_."

"Oh, come on. No one believes that anymore. That poor guy you killed was totally a beard. Ri and Phil caught you and Ruby making out in the smoking circle."

"She's hot and a good kisser. Why shouldn't I just go for that?"

"That's what being bi _is_. You like it, so you go for it." Dawn made a face. "Or, well, you just like it. You don't actually have to go for it. That's prejudiced to say you have to."

Lacey blinked at her. "Not following."

"Look, I'm bi. I like sex with sexy people. I'm dating a guy right now, but, you know, if things had gone a little different, I could have been dating Riley. But I don't need all the sex all the time. I'm not 'commitment averse.'"

Lacey raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's not because I'm _bi_."

"Would you have cheated on her too?"

Dawn went still. "I dunno. I mean, if she was like Phil and got stoned and was good for nothing, I might. But she's Ri, and she's like stone cold sober, and always keeping an eye on me, and always around to steer me away from my bad life choices. So, I probably wouldn't have the chance. Some other girl, sure, I'd still get drunk and hook up with randos. That seems to be what I do when I'm drunk."

"You usually pass out a lot too."

Dawn laughed. "I don't get a lot of sleep. I'm sure my body's like – hey! Look! Let's knock this bitch out and get some rest! And it's not like I _want_ to cheat. I'm just – that looks like fun, let's try it." Then she looked awkward and shrugged. "And it doesn't feel like cheating with Ri anyway. I mean, after you've done it like six times, the next twenty-seven are just great sex, not 'illicit thrill.'"

"You three are weirdly co-dependent. And Phil really doesn't know? Because everyone else thinks it's obvious that you're hooking up with Riley."

Dawn frowned. "I think he really doesn't know. I mean, maybe he thinks it happened once, or that I'd be open to it, but he doesn't know it's a thing."

"It's a thing."

Dawn ducked her head. "It's totally a thing. And Ri's straightlaced enough to feel shitty about it. Also, she's never drunk, so she feels responsible, which is bullshit. I'm the one who gets drunk and comes on to her. I'm responsible. But if I like, go with this proposal bullshit," she lifted the ring and let it catch the light, "she'll take it seriously, and there goes that. And I don't want to take it seriously. If I go with it, it means, yeah, Phil, go off to college feeling safe, and then break up with me when you have your first dormroom orgy, 'kay? It's not _real_."

"God," Lacey sighed. "My advice would be don't get into this mess in the first place. Relationships are 100% drama that you don't _need_."

"Well," Dawn laughed. "It's kind of late for that."

"Maybe just tell him you're shagging his BFF?"

"Because that won't make this even _worse_?"

Lacey grinned. "It would be more fun for me. But look, do the adult thing, talk it out. Say you're fifteen. Say you don't really want to hold him down. Say you aren't ready for any of that yet."

"Break up with him, basically."

"I didn't… say that. If he really likes you, he'll probably be okay with it, and just wait it out. If he's still serious after you're out of college, he'll try again. But if you heard 'break up with him,' maybe that's what you actually want."

x x x

Emma had almost gotten used to being in Ms. Mills' house. Not _really_ used to it, but happy to take her shoes off at the door, and drink the homemade sparkling cider and not feel utterly humiliated using the pristine bathroom.

But she hadn't been able to keep herself from snooping when Regina sent her to her office to find a red pen, and had ended up opening up a drawer in the bottom of the desk, and pulling out a photo album. She flipped it open to a random page. And then she froze.

It was her parents, goofy and young looking, with Regina, her hair long and in a braid, and a young man that Emma didn't know. They looked happy, like a group of friends out on a hike, having a good time.

"Ah," the voice came from behind her. "You've discovered my dirty secret."

Emma looked up, eyes wide. "You used to be friends with my _mom_?"

"I was a year ahead of her in school. My boyfriend, Daniel was in the same line of work as your father, they were best friends. As a group, we… got on well enough." She sighed and took the album out of Emma's hands. "We all do make stupid decisions while drunk."

Emma gave her a very suspicious look. "You didn't… hook up, did you?"

Regina stared at her, blankly, and then realization dawned, and she burst out laughing. "Your mother and I? No. No, indeed."

Emma flushed.

"But… there was an accident. A need for liquor and an inconvenient cow, and… Daniel was killed."

"Oh, god."

"Your mother and I had words then. Then, of course, she found out she was pregnant, and she got engaged to David, and they were happy, and I felt, well, defensive and insulted. How could they be happy when they had led to the death of someone we all cared about, but I cared about most? We fought the night before your father was shot. We… haven't spoken since."

Emma leaned on her hands. "Jesus fuck."

Regina smacked her arm. "I should wash your mouth out with soap."

"Sorry."

"To be honest, I told her she was a fool to have you. She was sixteen, younger than you. Her parents were not pleased. But… I was wrong. And jealous, unbearably jealous."

"What?" Emma stared at her.

"We were stupid children, but I had fancied myself in love with Daniel. We had planned to elope, planned on children, planned a life. And then your mother had gotten him killed and stolen my dreams."

"I'm sorry."

Regina laughed. "I'm not. Watching you and your friends grow up, as foolish as us but with even more access to idiocy, it's a relief to not be responsible for any of you. It's not _my_ child who needed to be taken to a clinic in Boston. It's not mine who sells drugs to her friends, acquired from her much older lover who pays her for sexual favors. And it's not mine who, god, what's the rumor going around this week, your friend and Lacey French…"

"They fucked a guy to death," Emma said. "He's okay now. They restarted his heart. But I'm kind of really glad that I left that party early."

Regina covered her face. "So it's not just a rumor."

"'Just' rumors?" Emma made a face. "There aren't too many of those. Even if they're bullshit, there's usually some basis in truth."

"Here's something I've always wondered. Do you children have _feelings_? You have hook-ups and parties and boyfriends. But have any of you ever thought you were in love? That was always the most dangerous idea in my day."

Emma stared at her. Yes, she wanted to say. Yes, I think I'm in love with you, but you're older than my mom, and you're my teacher, and you treat me like a child. But that doesn't mean I'm _not_ in love with you. "I dunno," she said instead. "When I was first dating Neal, I thought he was great. He took me on dates and paid for things and treated me really well. And I figured, this is what it must be like, to be in love. But I started to get bored with him, and Ruby and I would spend time just making fun of him, but I still dated him. Ruby had a summer boyfriend once, back before eighth grade, that she really liked, but he broke her heart when he left, and we had to eat a lot of ice cream about that. Though it was partly over the boyfriend and partly over mourning the loss of her virginity to a douchebag."

"Eighth grade. My god."

"He was like seventeen. If I ever see him again, I'm going to kill him."

Regina smiled. "I'll be happy to assist."

"I think, somehow, we're all kind of scared of feelings. Ruby doesn't do relationships anymore, and I'm still with Neal even though I don't care about him. I think Lacey just hates people. The only 'feelings' in our group are like, Phil and Dawn, and I think he likes her more than she likes him, and I think Riley likes her more than she should. And Dawn's _fifteen_. She's like pure id right now. Who knows what she's going to do."

"Maybe it does hurt less if you don't let yourself be in love. At least none of you will end up spending half your life at a hospital, desperately hoping for your true love to wake up."

x x x

"You shouldn't smoke so much." Ruby slid onto the stone next to Lacey and stole her cigarette for a drag.

Lacey looked over at her. "And you sharing is going to make me cut down?"

"Meh."

Lacey snagged it back. "I'll quit when I leave town for college. While I'm here, I need all the calming substances I can get."

Ruby looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"My dad is a fucker. It's kind of stressful."

"What's he doing?"

"Making me date this douche he works with. The last person I want to date in the world is an I-banker, especially one who would take out a seventeen year old just to get in tight with his boss."

"Ew." Ruby stole the cigarette back. "I need this too now." She glanced at Lacey, eyes lingering on her legs and breasts and then meeting her sharply ironic blue eyes.

"You checking me out?"

"Always," Ruby replied and then rummaged in her top. "Here." She handed Lacey a roll of bills. "Emma's been scraping it together, but I chipped in the rest. She can pay me, or whatever, we're good with owing each other stuff."

Lacey looked at it, licking her thumb and counting out the bills. "Thanks."

"Your dad's pretty rich, isn't he?"

Lacey snorted. "Fucking rolling in it. And nothing else is more important."

"So, why do you…"

"Have sex for money?"

"And deal drugs?"

Lacey laughed. "I retail, not deal."

"You're making up that distinction."

Lacey shrugged and bumped Ruby's shoulder with her own. "It's my secret savings."

"What for?"

"For when I make my dad disown me."

"Is this a _plan_?"

Lacey gave her an odd look, almost shy, and Ruby kind of wanted to cuddle her. "An inevitability. He… wants to control my life. And I need to have my own funds so that he doesn't have that power over me. I'm going to try to make him pay for college, at least at the beginning, but if he tries to make me _marry_ one of his pet monkeys, I'm gone. I am out of his goddamn life. And I am never coming back to this town."

Ruby looked at her, at her intensity, and sighed. "My grandmother said that, that you'd be out of here and never look back."

Lacey raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing talking to your grandmother about me?"

"Uh, well, rumors get around."

Lacey made a face. "We're _never_ going to live this one down, are we? We'd better just own it. But… how did 'oh my god you slut' turn into 'Lacey's a free spirit, don't get attached.'"

Ruby felt herself turning red, and Lacey gaped at her. "Oh my god. It _was_ a 'Lacey's a free spirit, don't get attached,' conversation, wasn't it? You totally have a crush on me! And you talked to your grandmother about it!" Then Lacey frowned. "How the hell did you get such a good family life?"

"Um, my parents died when I was young. It's not that good."

Lacey shrugged. "I only have my dad, and honestly, I'd rather be an orphan." Her eyes went sly. "But you do have a crush."

Ruby watched her. She didn't seem bothered by the idea, just amused and arrogant, as usual. "Maybe. I like you."

Lacey stared at her for a long time. "I like you too," she said, finally. "I mean, we did kill a man together. We kind of have a bond."

Ruby laughed and then looked away. "I like you. And, I mean, we've got like a couple months before graduation and then we're all leaving town, going different directions, so it's like, I'm not going to invest that much in this. You wouldn't want that."

"Hell no. I'm not into being tied down."

"But having fun? I think we could have a lot of fun."

"As girlfriends?" Lacey made a face. "You know my hooking job is a _job_. I'm not going to leave it."

"I know."

"And you know I'm a slutty drunk."

"As am I."

"And I am technically grounded until graduation."

Ruby laughed. "And how much is your dad going to be in town to keep an eye on you?"

Lacey wrinkled her nose. "Not that much, really. But… what do you want from me? What does this entail?"

Ruby looked at her. "Mainly sex. Possibly burgers."

"I could go for burgers." Lacey grinned at her, and Ruby offered a small smile in return. "Oh, come _on_," Lacey said, laughing, then swung herself onto Ruby's lap. "If I'm going to ruin my reputation and have everyone start thinking I'm a lesbian, you had better put out more than this."

Ruby kissed her, and kept kissing her, until Emma, Neal, and the idiot threesome showed up, and even then, Lacey stayed put in Ruby's lap.

x x x


	4. Chapter 4

"So, Lacey?" Dawn asked, only slurring slightly as the group sat around the campfire in the woods. "When's your next party?"

Lacey, curled lazily in Ruby's lap, hand on the neck of a bottle of scotch, rolled her eyes. "Never."

"_What_?"

That was a chorus of like three people. Even Riley sounded shocked, if not appalled like the others. Only Ruby wasn't surprised, her fingers trailing through Lacey's dark hair. But they had had this conversation already.

"I'm done," Lacey said. "There's stupid and then there's asking for it. And after someone dies at one of your parties, even if only temporarily, you've got to think about it. It isn't worth it. I'd rather just have a couple of people over, like this. Honestly, the big parties are getting a little boring."

"I'm hurt," Ruby said.

Lacey elbowed her. "That last one wasn't _boring._ Fucking traumatic, and, well, enlightening. But not boring."

"Hey," Emma said. "I left before all the drama started, but for those… ten hours, it was horribly boring, or just awful. At least the parts where I wasn't hanging out with you guys."

Neal frowned. "I don't remember a lot of that party."

"That's because you got hammered before noon," Lacey said, "and then you passed out in a bush. We didn't find you until the next morning."

"Oh."

Dawn was pouting. "I _like_ parties."

"I don't see why," said Emma. "You and Neal both spend a most of the time passed out."

Lacey rolled her eyes. "You like what comes _after_ parties."

Dawn flushed and Riley went very still. Phil blinked at them. "The vomiting?" he asked.

"No," Dawn's face went suddenly hard and aggressive. "I like it when Riley drives me home and then fucks me."

Lacey dropped her bottle of scotch. Everyone was gaping at Dawn now, including Riley, who looked appalled.

Phil was staring at them, looking from one to the other, shocked and hurt. "Like, regularly?" he asked.

"Yes, regularly," Dawn snapped, like she was driving the point home. "Every time." She fumbled in her pocket and jerked out the class ring. "Take this back," she said. "I don't know what you were thinking with it. Because seriously, if I sleep around while you're _here_, this isn't going to make me sleep around less while you're away at _college_."

"And yes," Lacey muttered to no one, "she really _did_ want to dump him."

"But I'm… I'm not going away to college. I just decided I was going to stay here and join the sheriff's department."

And now the focus was on Phil. "You decided _what_?" asked Riley. "But you were supposed to come to Boston with me."

"Well, you weren't supposed to fuck my girlfriend!" Phil's voice broke and he looked like he was about to cry.

"I told you the first time! I told you! And you said, 'well, if she crawls into your lap and makes those eyes at you, I totally get that you couldn't say no.'"

"You _told_ him?"

"The first time! I didn't mean _every_ time!"

"I never initiated it!"

"You call that _loyalty_!"

Emma covered her face. "How did this turn into a Phil and Riley breakup scene?"

Ruby shook her head. "Emma, please never sleep with any of my girlfriends."

"Any of your girlfriends?" Lacey smacked her arm. "How many do you have?"

Phil suddenly stood up and stormed off, crying.

Riley jumped up to follow him.

"Riley," Dawn called.

Riley turned and glared at her. "That was _cruel_. Unnecessarily so. Don't speak to me." And then she turned and ran after Phil.

"Fuck." Dawn covered her face. "Oh, _fuck_."

"Welcome to the world of the single," Emma said, raising her vodka.

"What?" Neal asked. "We broke up?"

"Yes, Neal," Emma said. "We broke up."

"Oh," Neal said. "Okay. That makes sense I guess, why you weren't answering my sexts."

x x x

"Emma…" her mother said, bemusedly. "I just got a letter from Regina Mills."

Emma's eyes widened. "What… what does it say?"

"It says… that you've been doing excellent work as a TA for her world history class and that she's written a letter to a professor at Tufts, who's willing to give you a work study job as a Research Assistant."

Emma gaped. "What?"

Her mother cocked her head to the side and gave her a look. "Have you been TAing for Regina Mills?"

"Yeah? It was sort of, unpaid and involuntary?"

Mary Margaret looked back down at the letter. "This is really good, Emma. With that kind of funding, it will just be… so much easier."

Emma swallowed hard. And it could have been harder. _So _much harder. She wasn't going to fuck it up this time. It was going to work. "Great," she said. "I… I kind of really like history."

x x x

"Here, darling." Eliot handed her an envelope. It seemed… fatter than usual. "As a thank you."

Lacey blinked at him. "Thank _you_. I mean, I'm sure you could have gotten someone… free, or, less crazy, or something."

Eliot smiled. "I have to say, that your descriptions of your high school drama were one of the most entertaining parts."

Lacey laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. _Not_."

"No. They were. You have… a way with words, on occasion. Blunt, callous words, usually, but artistic, nonetheless."

Lacey leaned in and gave him a hug. "Thanks," she said. "Really. And, well, I bet you could talk to Neal. He's still a bit broken up about Emma dumping him, and he might need a bit of a dad. You usually gave me good advice. _Usually_."

x x x

Emma and Ruby sat in the cab of the truck, staring out over the hill at the forest.

"Fuck, it's been a crazy year," Emma said. "And I still can't believe you took Lacey to prom."

"Who else was I going to take?" Ruby asked. "Graham?"

Emma snorted. "Oh my god. That would have been good. You and Lacey both should have taken Graham to prom, and they would have like had an EMT follow you around the whole night. Stellar."

"I think… it was pretty fine as it was."

"Yeah, yeah." Emma glared at her. "I know you guys left early."

"Got thrown out."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have stuck your hands up her skirt."

Ruby laughed. "But it was _so_ short."

"I _know_. I know what color underwear she was wearing, and _I_ wasn't the one taking her home that night."

Ruby just grinned.

"So, are you like, totally gay now?"

Ruby blinked at her. "Huh?"

"I mean, I thought you and Lacey would swing a little more. But you've been pretty monogamous."

"Except for every week when she goes and fucks her john," Ruby said, rolling her eyes. "But swinging? You think _anyone_ would threesome with us after what happened to Graham?"

"You totally had offers."

Ruby laughed. "Weren't that interesting. I mean, we've done that. We fucked a guy to _death_. How do you top that? I mean, really?"

"But do you… want guys anymore?"

Ruby looked at her. "I… don't really know. Lacey's pretty much all I can handle right now. But, that's over soon. I mean, she's going to _Berkeley_. And whatever we are, it isn't long distance compatible. So, when we break up, I'll be looking around. I'll see what I find."

Emma sighed. "Keep me apprised."

"Of course. You're my best friend. And we will not be all that far apart. So I'm expecting to see you all the time. In fact, if I don't see you for a month, I'm going to take the T to your place and break down your door. Be prepared."

x x x

"So, this is it."

Lacey was sitting on Ruby's bed, swinging her legs, glancing around at the boxes and trashbags full of stuff, that tomorrow would be loaded into the back of Ruby's truck, along with Emma's stuff, and as much of Riley's and Phil's as they could fit. The rest would be in the back of Phil's car.

Ruby looked at her. "Guess so," she said, feeling a little lost. Maybe this was her home, and she wasn't meant to leave it. But BU wasn't that far, and she would come back. Lacey, however, probably wouldn't.

"Hey," Lacey said softly. "Come here." She looped her arms around Ruby's neck and pulled her down for a kiss. "You know, I'm really super glad you made me cross those gay lines."

Ruby laughed into her shoulder. "Why? Already making plans to screw the entire GSA at Berkeley?"

Lacey punched her arm. "_No_. Well, maybe. But mainly I'm just happy that I got to be with you. You're pretty awesome, you know."

"Never know it enough to not want to hear it."

"Well, you are. And you're hot enough to turn any girl. So set those standards high and just go for it."

Ruby couldn't help the laugh that bubbled over. Lacey's hands tangled in her hair, and then they were kissing, roughly, a little desperately. "I've got to go," Lacey murmured into her shoulder. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you."

x x x

FIVE YEARS LATER

"You're studying for the MCAT's already?" Emma gaped as Dawn picked up her stack of standardized test booklets and found shelf-space for them, next to a Queer Theory reader and something horrifying about quantum physics.

Dawn shrugged. "Never too early to be prepared," she said. "And anyways, it's stupid the way they discount the practical experience of being an EMT, anyway. I just need to _kill_ it."

Emma laughed, still a little shocked by the way Dawn had dealt with being dumped by both her fuck-buddies at once.

"What?" Dawn had said, when quizzed on it before. "I just, I realized I didn't _like_ myself very much. And I wanted to fix that. So I asked myself, what _did_ I like? And I liked Riley, and how cool she was under pressure, and how she saved Graham's life, and how she was always smart and sober and caring, and so, I figured if I were more like that, I'd like myself more. It worked pretty well. I still like to drink. I just don't drink so much when there are people doing dangerous stuff around me."

The two bedroom apartment was pretty nice, out in Watertown, and Emma brought her offering of artisan cider to the kitchen, where Riley was doing something with the oven. Emma leaned against the counter, watching, but far too sensible to offer to help.

"So this is like, serious now, is it?" she asked, quietly.

Riley raised both eyebrows and gave her a grin. "You've seen her lately. She's _terrifying_ when she's going after something she wants."

Emma laughed. "And… she wanted you."

"_Terrifying_."

Ruby showed up with her newish girlfriend, who Emma hadn't really had a chance to talk to much, but was small, and cute, and probably not at all good enough for Ruby. And then Neal and Killian showed up. They were _not_ dating. But they were _not_ dating so vehemently, that Emma was pretty sure that they kind of were. Phil and his new girlfriend were the last to arrive, and Emma was pretty sure that there were a lot of stories that were _not_ going to be mentioned tonight.

Well, if they got drunk enough, they'd probably all come out, and that would just be a disaster.

Emma got herself some cider and went to corner Ruby's girl, _Megan_, she'd been introduced as, and play the terrifying best friend for a while.

But, before she could say so much as 'hi' to the reasonably attractive, and definitely well dressed girl, the buzzer rang again, and Dawn opened the door to let Lacey through.

"Sorry I'm late. The train up from NYC decided to just hang out in Rhode Island _forever_. It's like, there is _no_ good reason to hang out in Rhode Island even when you're _not_ a train. But seriously."

And she grinned around the room, and then Ruby had grabbed her and lifted her right up off the floor in a hug. "Damn it, Lacey! You didn't tell me you were coming!"

She set her down, and they were both grinning at each other. And… Emma figured they were going to need the stronger liquor tonight.

"You're Lacey? The one who always sexts Ruby's phone around two am?"

Ooh, and that was ballsy. Well played Megan.

"Aww," said Lacey. "You let your girl read my sexts?"

"What? Like I should restrict that literary genius solely to myself."

Ruby slung an arm over Megan's shoulder and pulled her closer to them both, Lacey, who looked dark and gorgeous and New York, smiled, and gave Ruby a shoulder bump. "I totally turned you," she said. "I bet you never went back to men after me."

"Hey!" Ruby protested. "There was that one time I tried it again, and I was like, oh god, I can't deal with the _smell_, and I had to crawl out the bathroom window while he was getting more beer."

"I'm Megan," Megan interrupted. "I've… heard things about you."

Lacey looked between her and Ruby. "Somehow, I'm thinking there are a lot of bad things that you probably told her about me."

"I totally didn't mention your high school part time job! Nor did, ahem, Graham, come up."

"I think we all need another drink," said Emma, and started pouring out. She went straight for the vodka and cranberry. Posh drinks were not going to cut it tonight.

"What?" Dawn said, looking just as mischievous as she had when she was the _worst sophomore ever_. "You mean Ruby never told you about the time she and Lacey had a threesome and fucked a guy to death?"

"Hey," said Killian. "I'll have you know that Graham is alive and well, though currently at a Buddhist monastery practicing celibacy. No more close calls for him."

Megan looked appalled. Emma topped up her drink again. "Sorry," she said. "We were like the worst people ever in high school."

"Oh, no kidding," Dawn said, then she grinned at Phil's girlfriend and added, "Let's not even mention that time where Phil asked me to wear his ring and I took the opportunity to tell him I'd been fucking his best friend behind his back for the last six months."

The girl's eyes widened. Emma sighed. And they were going there. The liquor flowed freely, and they remembered old times, and tried to traumatize the newbies with the memories. And Lacey got further and further into Ruby's lap, until she was there, back in her usual spot, heels off, arm hooked around Ruby's neck and sharing a beer.

Emma leaned close to Megan and kept her drink full, and gave her the other story when things got a little biased or exaggerated.

"And everyone always used to think we were poly, which _really_ should have hinted _something_ to you," Dawn smacked Phil on the arm. "I mean, seriously? We don't get mistaken for a threeway that often if there isn't something there.'

"Well," Riley said, considering. "There was that time when Phil and I _did_…"

Dawn's eyes bugged. "What? Are you _serious_?"

"Oh my god, Riley!" Phil protested. "What happened to never, ever speaking of it again?"

Riley grinned at him. "It was _so_ bad." She pulled Dawn between her legs and wrapped her arms around her. "You have no idea. The worst sex I've ever had. And it was what really convinced me I was a lesbian."

"Convinced me too," Phil said. "And I am not that bad. Dawn! Tell everyone I'm not that bad!"

Dawn shrugged. "Well…"

"You suck!"

Dawn laughed. "He's not that bad!" she exclaimed. "I mean, he's not a _woman_, and he's not game, but he's not like a one dip stick or anything."

"Thank you," Phil said. "I think."

"No, I can vouch," said Lacey. "And he has the special benefit of being able to keep an erection while stoned off his ass."

Ruby pinched her side.

"Hey, what? It's not like you haven't fucked him."

"Yeah, _once_. Which was _enough_."

Phil's girlfriend looked rather worried. Dawn grinned at her. "So, how many people in this room _has_ Phil slept with?"

Lacey stuck up her hand unrepentantly. Riley and Ruby added theirs. Then, kind of humiliated, Emma added hers. "It was a seven minutes in heaven game," she said. "And it only lasted seven minutes."

And then, even more embarrassed, Neal added his hand.

Phil gaped at him. "Neal. You _promised_.'

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Dawn. "You let him up your butt, but you wouldn't let me? You tease!"

Phil turned purple with embarrassment.

"Neal," Lacey whined. "I told you you were gay for _years _and you never listened to me."

"Well you're just as gay!" Neal protested.

Lacey grinned. "Yeah. I really am."

She looked at Ruby and they touched foreheads, and Emma was sure they were going to kiss, and put her hand on Megan's leg. But they didn't, and instead Emma got the odd look.

"So," Lacey grinned and grabbed the empty cider bottle off the table. "Spin the bottle or truth or dare?" she asked. "Just like old times."

x x x

Unsurprisingly, four more people were single after that party than before. But Emma had a very nice memory of sex with Megan, and Phil's now ex-girlfriend had a regimen of Penicillin to take for the syphilis she had gotten from Killian. (Or Neal. No one could really remember much of that night. Or if they could, they weren't admitting to it.)

Ruby and Lacey met for coffee the next afternoon. "So," Lacey said, offering a bit of a sly half-grin. "I've gotten a job at a Literary Agency in Providence. And, well, I hear you're still in Boston?"

Ruby nodded. She went back to Maine sometimes, but she wasn't ready to go back, not yet. Her gran was still running a tight ship, and she didn't have a reason to move back.

"And I really, _really_ wasn't intending to make your girlfriend dump you. But, since she did… do you want to go out sometime?"

Ruby looked at her. "Go out, or _go out_? Because I'd be up for either, but I'd like to know which."

"Um…" Lacey frowned. "I know which, but I just don't know how to match the inflection. Let's say, I want to take you to dinner, and not get too drunk, and, um, kiss you a bit, but not have sex."

"_Not_ have sex?"

Lacey made a face. "Well, I figure, we've already had a lot of sex, and it might be fun to see if we can, um, not for a while, and still get along."

"You want to _date_ me." Ruby couldn't help grinning.

"Actually," Lacey said, "I want you to fall in love with me again. I'm just trying to figure out a method that might be more effective than the last time, and, well, involve less sex with men. Because I'm kind of done with that. Also, less prostitution and fewer ambulances."

"Yes," Ruby said. "Whatever it is, you know I'll say yes."

x x x

"Well, Miss Blanchard."

Emma spun and nearly choked on her coffee, spying Regina Mills, sauntering up to her in the diner.

"Hi," she managed, barely.

"And it's nice to see you back in town."

Emma grinned. "For a bit. Visiting mom, before I go back to school."

"And you're in grad school. How unexpected."

Emma was just grinning, and Regina was looking rather happy and amused, and Emma figured, what the hell. She was an adult. She was smart, and competent, and okay, it was kind of sad to never get over your high-school crush, but hell. "I'm pretty sure that's all thanks to you." She stood up, moving toward her. "So," she stepped in, as if for a hug, "Thanks." And then she cupped her teacher's cheek, leaned in, and kissed her.

END


End file.
